Rating: 
Summary: Less 'sex' please and more romance!
Review: Michael and Sarah's story engaged me from the beginning, though with some reservations throughout. I will start by saying that this story is HOT with strongly explicit love scenes. I thought they were very well done and more lifelike or realistic than most scenes I have read. This is the second book, in a series, and I did not feel uncomfortable by not reading the preceding one.The parts keeping this from being a 4 or 5 star rating from me are as follows: First, Michael was so unapproachable for the entire story, that I did not warm up to his character until the last chapter, and even then until the last few pages. I did not understand his total about face, and the final confrontation between Sarah and Michael was brief and disappointing. I would have liked to have seen them work through their problems, not just fall into bed and figure that was enough. The other issue I had with the story was the abandoned open threads. What happened between Michael and his parents? Pamela? Are these threads that will be wrapped up in another story or does the reader have to make up their own ending? Over all, a good read, and an explicitly sexual one. For erotic scenes, which are plentiful, the story is worth reading, though I would have liked to have seen some better plot development.
Rating: 
Summary: Titillating and engaging, though still lacking
Review: Michael and Sarah's story engaged me from the beginning, though with some reservations throughout. I will start by saying that this story is HOT with strongly explicit love scenes. I thought they were very well done and more lifelike or realistic than most scenes I have read. This is the second book, in a series, and I did not feel uncomfortable by not reading the preceding one. The parts keeping this from being a 4 or 5 star rating from me are as follows: First, Michael was so unapproachable for the entire story, that I did not warm up to his character until the last chapter, and even then until the last few pages. I did not understand his total about face, and the final confrontation between Sarah and Michael was brief and disappointing. I would have liked to have seen them work through their problems, not just fall into bed and figure that was enough. The other issue I had with the story was the abandoned open threads. What happened between Michael and his parents? Pamela? Are these threads that will be wrapped up in another story or does the reader have to make up their own ending? Over all, a good read, and an explicitly sexual one. For erotic scenes, which are plentiful, the story is worth reading, though I would have liked to have seen some better plot development.
Rating:
Summary: Steam Can't Quench Thirst
Review: Needing some romantic escapism, I bought this book a few weeks ago. While I managed to finish it within a couple of days, I immediately returned it to the bookstore. "Total Surrender" started out promisingly but, following the the leads' first encounter, it started to fall apart. Steamy sex and explicit description I can take, even enjoy, but in this case they didn't engage me. There was never any remotely plausible reason behind Michael's sexual antics, and his behaviour after marrying Sarah killed any lingering appeal he may have had. The plot and writing of this book also left much to be desired. Holt was needlessly repetitive throughout, bringing up in seemingly every chapter what a depraved reprobate Michael was, yet how his good looks attracted the ladies nonetheless. All this served to show was how thin the overall story actually is. An elegant, easy-flowing writing style could have masked this, but the author chose to use clunky multisyllabic words where simpler alternatives existed. It seemed she was unsuccessfully trying to ape the "formal" language of the period. Overall, I am getting disappointed in my quest to find quality romance with an erotic edge. Holt joins a list of authors who can't effectively combine sex and romance: in fact, she doesn't get either right in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: NOT A MUST READ
Review: The story started off well, then when downhill fast. I did not feel that enough was written about the couple getting to know each other and too much of it was left to the imagination. I just never had any strong feelings about this couple at all. The hero was not very likable and it was not believable that this woman would fall in love with him.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring story and despicable behavior.
Review: This is the 3rd Cheryl Holt book I have read, the first one was Love Lessons, that I quite enjoyed, the second one was Absolute Pleasure that I hated and almost made me not want to buy another Cheryl Holt book, but since I had already read James' story, I wanted to know what happened to his brother Michael, whom I liked from Love Lessons, to I bought this book. And once again was completely dissapointed by Holt's style. This definitevely is the last book I buy from her.
First of all, she has a tendency to create heroes that are very hard to like, and that commit accions that are very difficult to forgive, but in spite of this, the female is always the one who in the ends seeks him out (totally humilliating herself in the process). If you have read other Chery Holt books, you know what I'm talking about, in Love Lessons it was somewhat justified. in Absolute Pleasure it was not, neither in this book. When I read about the way Michael treated her, merely because he suspects that she may have plotted with her brother to ensnare him, it made me dislike Michael very much. He sends her to the country to endure hunger, cold and misery while he lives happily in the city, "pretending" not to know of her situation, when he should have known better, since he was the one who caused it.
I kept hoping that he would learn the truth about her innocence and go looking for her and ask her forgiveness for his inconsiderate behavior, but instead, he had never planned to look for her, if it were up to him she could have died of hunger or cold, and he would have never even found out. Does this sound like a person in love? Of course not, however, Holt tries to makes us believe after she seeks him out, that he loves her, and feels remorse for his actions against her. I'm sorry but I found this very hard to believe.
In Love Lessons, Michael was a very likeable character,and this book completely ruined him. Even the reconciliation scene was all about sex and not about emotions.
I kind of liked the scene when Abigail gives Sarah the drawings of Michael, and when he finds out that his sister in law saw them. It was cute. But that was it.
It is a shame, because the original plot of this book could have made for a good romance novel, but it was developed poorly.
Rating:
Summary: Cheap trash!
Review: This story was more than disappointing. It was a "cheap" way of writing sex scenes without the slightest degree of sensuality or any reasons for liking the main characters. In "Total Surrender" we see a grown man, Michael Stevens, who has run away from London because his father (who had abandoned his bastard sons and their mother when the boys were babies) has now finally decides to marry the woman he had always loved. And Michael does not want to face the reality that his parents are now wed- he hates his father who is an earl. So what does our hero do? For months he has been hopping from one country house party to another- engaging is raw sex with the bored wives of the gentlemen of the ton. To Michael this is somehow a way of getting back at his father- but it made no sense to me. The story opens at a country house gala where members of the ton can indulge in their every sexual fantasy and erotic whims. And women (several per night)are discreetly making their way to Michael's private hidden chamber(with peep holes in the walls). There, he waits to see who will show up to service him. It seems women are honored to have a short time in Michael bed- he is a notorious seducer. Expect Michael does not seduce these woman- he allows them to ease his tortured mind by using their lips- and it's not for kissing. The heroine of this story- Lady Sara Compton (virginal 25 year old spinster) is both fascinated by what she is seeing through a peephole in her dressing room AND she is also upset by seeing the emptiness in Michael's eyes- he looks so lonely. (She had only known him for one day, but Sarah knows she has to try to save him.) "You are searching for something Michael but you won't discover it in that room." "Come to me instead and teach me what to do. I will be happy to do whatever you ask." "Let me be the one to love you." She begs him not to return to that secret room because she thinks his endless meaningless sexual encounters will destroy his soul. (She knows him now for three days.) And she wants to help him and also help herself. Sarah is terrible unhappy and lonely- she wants to discover what the act of loving is all about. And this house party might be her last chance find out. After after four days, Sarah has convinced Michael- he finally decides that she is a mature virgin primed and ready for sexual initiation, and would make a devoted and zealous pupil. He says-"I will demonstrate the method, and you will practice on me until you grow proficient." "I will require conduct of you that you've never dreamed possible. Do you still want to proceed?" "Yes." And innocent Sarah learns all the tricks. To me, this is cheap trash and Michael and Sarah are not characters that I can relate to or respect. And I have no desire to read about a man who degrades women- there is no excuse or understanding for that kind of behavior. I will never buy another one of Ms. Holt's books because I will not trust her ability to write sensitive, meaningful stories.
Rating:
Summary: Beware...
Review: This was a very strange book. I read a lot of historical/regency romances, and don't mind explicit sex, but I thought this was really in the category of soft-core porn. Why? The scenes were extremely explicit -- no euphemisms -- and it felt to me as though the plot only existed as an excuse for the sex scenes. At the beginning of the book, the heroine watches through a peephole as the "hero" is "serviced" by several different women as part of a house party turned orgy, all of it very explicitly described. I don't think of myself as a prude, and of course I don't mind at all if other people enjoy this, but don't buy this book thinking you're getting a steamy romance along the lines of Stephanie Laurens, Eloisa James, or Lisa Kleypas. This goes well beyond those, and is a novel that you may be embarrassed to have in the house if you have younger teenagers (or maybe even older ones).
Rating:
Summary: A Dark, Brooding Hero
Review: Total Surrender was not my favorite story about the two Steven's brothers but it was still a good read. Michael left and disappeared at the end of "Love Lessons" and his story picks up in "Total Surrender" at a country house party in Bedford, England. Michael is feeling left adrift by circumstances regarding his parents and then his brother's relationships and his place in life. With his confusion he goes into a self-destruction mode. He has no plans on ever loving a person and feels that love does not exists in the real world. Lust yes love no. All of his beliefs are about to be tested at this country orgy house party in the form of virginal Sarah Compton. Sarah is a twenty-five year old virgin. She has no idea that the house party that her brother has encouraged her to attend is no place for a respectable young woman. She finds herself confronted by her sensuality and feelings that she has never experienced by a man so handsome she can't believe that he exists. Reading about Sarah and Michael falling in love was a quite an undertaking. Ms. Holt has created a very memorable dark and brooding hero in Michael. He acts true to form and you can't help but root for the strong willed heroine and that she has success in finally melting the ice around Michaels heart. Although this book is very sensual in detail, and at times you just want to yell and scream at Michael to "wake up" and quit acting like a brat you will find it difficult to put down. Michael is not an easy character to like. But there is plenty of history that will be explained during the telling of the story that explains his behavior and his reactions to different situations. The only complaint that I had was I felt that there was no closure regarding Rebecca and her actions during the story.
Rating:
Summary: A Dark, Brooding Hero
Review: Total Surrender was not my favorite story about the two Steven's brothers but it was still a good read. Michael left and disappeared at the end of "Love Lessons" and his story picks up in "Total Surrender" at a country house party in Bedford, England. Michael is feeling left adrift by circumstances regarding his parents and then his brother's relationships and his place in life. With his confusion he goes into a self-destruction mode. He has no plans on ever loving a person and feels that love does not exists in the real world. Lust yes love no. All of his beliefs are about to be tested at this country orgy house party in the form of virginal Sarah Compton. Sarah is a twenty-five year old virgin. She has no idea that the house party that her brother has encouraged her to attend is no place for a respectable young woman. She finds herself confronted by her sensuality and feelings that she has never experienced by a man so handsome she can't believe that he exists. Reading about Sarah and Michael falling in love was a quite an undertaking. Ms. Holt has created a very memorable dark and brooding hero in Michael. He acts true to form and you can't help but root for the strong willed heroine and that she has success in finally melting the ice around Michaels heart. Although this book is very sensual in detail, and at times you just want to yell and scream at Michael to "wake up" and quit acting like a brat you will find it difficult to put down. Michael is not an easy character to like. But there is plenty of history that will be explained during the telling of the story that explains his behavior and his reactions to different situations. The only complaint that I had was I felt that there was no closure regarding Rebecca and her actions during the story.
Rating:
Summary: Boring! A big let down
Review: Well I was excited to read this story. I had enjoyed LOVE LESSONS so much that I started this one right away. I was very disappointed in the story. It lacked the emotion of the other book. This one was just sex and not much else. I didn't like Michael and he didn't improve any along the way. Sarah was a bit more likeable especially towards the end. I like finding out what had happened to James and Abigail from the first story. I wish I could have liked this more. The sex scenes are hot but I wouldn't call them love scenes. This book will not be read again by me.
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